Authorities investigating hit-and-run death

By Scott McCabe
Examiner Staff Writer 11/20/08

Authorities are investigating the death of a 22-year-old Marine who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Arlington.

Maddison Peterson, who was a private first class assigned to the presidential guard unit and stationed at the Marine Barracks Washington, got into an argument on Nov. 8 at a Crystal City hotel bar and decided to leave to calm himself, Arlington police said. That was the last time Peterson was seen alive.

Authorities are investigating the death of Pfc. Maddison Peterson, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Arlington Nov. 8.

Around 9:15 p.m. that night, a driver of a sports car called 911 to report that he had hit a man that had been lying in the left lane of State Route 110 near the Interstate 395 overpass, said Det. Crystal Nosal, of the Arlington Police Department. Peterson was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead 45 minutes later.

Initially, police believed the sports car was the only vehicle involved, but as the medical examiner’s investigation progressed, detectives determined that Peterson was struck while standing, Nosal said. Evidence showed that the majority of Peterson’s injuries were caused by a large, sport utility-type vehicle, police said.

Peterson, a former high school football standout from a small town in Oregon with a budding modeling career, was drinking with his father and roommate at a Marriott hotel bar when he got into some sort of argument, Nosal said. The trio already had been in a bar fight earlier that week on Election Day and, in fact, were arrested, Nosal said. During the argument at the Marriott bar, Peterson decided to cool off and went for a stroll. He was last seen in the 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway shortly before 9 p.m.

Police don’t believe the arguments had any connection to his death, Nosal said.

Police said the driver of the first vehicle might not have known that he or she had struck Peterson. The Marine was wearing a black T-shirt, gold chain, bluejeans and black shoes. Anyone with information about this incident should call the Arlington Police Tip-Line at 703-228-4050.

The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is assisting with the investigation and offering a reward of $2,000 for information that leads to the indictment of a suspect.

Police units will be distributing flyers requesting information on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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